Lifting device for hospital-beds.



No. 658,2I7. Patented Sept. I8, I900. E. E. MUNGER.

LIFTING DEVICE FOR HOSPITAL BEDS.

(Application filed Apr. 11, 1900.)

(No ModeLj WITNESSES IN VEN TOH r Z'ZJtI'ZZ. flu 1y:

BY 2! ATTORNEYS 1m: mums PETERS co, PNOTO-UTHD wusumcn'om o. c.;

UNITED STATES ELBERT E. MUNGER,.

PATENT @FFICEL.

on SPENCER, IOWA.

LIFTING DEVICE FOR HOSPITAL-BEDS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 658,217, dated September 18, 1900. Application filed April 11, 1900. Serial No. 12,434. (No model.)

To all whom iv' m0'ty concern:

Be it known that I, ELBERT E. MUNGER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Spencer, in the county of Clay and'St-ate of Iowa, have invented a new and Improved Lifting Device for Hospital-Beds, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to beds for sick and invalid persons, and is adapted for use especially in hospitals, sick-rooms, and the like.

the edges.

The object of the invention is to provide a simple and efficient device for lifting the patient off the mattress whenever it is desired to change the latter or the bedding or for other purposes.

To this end the invention consists in certain features of construction and combinations of parts, as will be fully described hereinafter, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a perspective View of a bed having my improvement applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a cross-section thereof, and Fig. 3 is an end view showing a slightly-different construction.

The bed proper may be of any suitable construction, comprising head-posts A, footposts B, side rails O, and end rails D. .A mattress E of any suitable construction is placed on the bed, and oversaid mattress are passed in a transverse direction under the patient strips P of canvas, duck, or like fabric or material quilted up to a point near On the ends of the said strips are secured apertured straps P, adapted to be hooked upon buttons or pins Q, secured on shafts Q,-mounted to turn in suitablebearings formed on the free ends of arms Q hinged to the side rails O of the bed-frame. The arms Q are normallyin a lowermost position and rest at their ends on collars A and B on the head-posts A and foot-posts B, respectively, and when the arms Q are swung into an uppermost position they rest against collars A and B likewise on the head-posts A and the foot-postsB, respectively. l/Vhenin this uppermost position, the shafts Q are a distance above the top surface of the mattress rotation of the shafts Q, as described, so that ,the straps P are first wound up and then the ends of the strips P, whereby the said strips gradually assume a horizontal position, thus lifting the patient from the mattress to allow of removing the mattress or changing the bed-linen beneath the patient; Also by placing the strips beneath the patient at suitable distances easy access is obtained toany portion of the posterior part of the body, thereby facilitating the treatment and care of sores '75 or injuries or other conditions which make it necessary to have access to the back. When the strips P have assumed a horizontal posisition, then the two runs of the sprocketchain R are'locked together at their point of crossing by a suitable key R to prevent accidental turning of the shaftsQ during the time the patient is suspended on the strips P. The collars A A and B B are made of leather or other suitable material to form suitable rests for the shafts Q, to prevent marring the bed-posts, and to prevent undue noise when the shafts are moved into a lowermost or uppermost position. When the. shafts Q are swung into an uppermost po- 0 sition, an upwardly-arched transverse brace Q is engaged at its forked ends by the central portions of said shafts or by the central arms Q to prevent the shafts from bending when loaded with the patient, as above described- In some cases it maybe advantageous to provide for an independent adjustment or rotation ofthe shafts Q, and for this purpose a crank Q may be secured to each shaft,with a pawl Q engaging a ratchet-wheel Q to lock the shaft. 7 Having thus described myinvention,I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. A bed having a frame, arms hinged on said bed-frame, shafts journaled in said arms, and adapted to rest against the head and foot of the frame, transverse supporting-strips connected with said shafts to wind thereon, and means for rotating said shafts to wind up or unwind said strips, the said means comprising sprocket wheels on the shafts, a sprocket-chain connected with the sprocketwheels, anda crank on one of said shafts, substantially as shown and described.

2. A bed having a frame, arms hinged on said bed-frame, shafts journaled in said arms, and adapted to rest against the head and foot of the frame, supporting-strips connected with said shafts to wind thereon, means for rotating said shafts to wind up or unwind said strips, the said means comprising sprocket- Wheels on the shafts, a sprocket-chain connected with the sprocket-wheels, a crank on one of said shafts, and a removable brace for the said shafts when in an elevated position, substantially as shown and described.

3. A bed having a frame, arms hinged on said bedframe, shafts journaled in said arms, and adapted to rest against the head and foot of the frame, transverse supportingstrips connected with said shafts to wind thereon, means for rotating said shafts, to wind up or unwind said strips, the said means comprising sprocket-wheels on the shafts, a sprocketchain connected with the sprocket-wheels, a crank on one of said shafts, and means for locking the shafts against accidental turning, substantially as shown and described.

4. The combination with a bed having side rails, of arms pivoted to said side rails, shafts journaled in said arms, flexible strips adapted to connect said shafts, and means for ro'tating the shafts.

5. The combination with a bed, of arms pivoted thereto upon pivots extending lengthwise of the bed, longitudinal shafts journaled in said arms, flexible strips adapted to connect said shafts, and means for rotating the shafts.

6. The combination with a bed, of arms pivoted thereto upon pivots extending lengthwise of the bed, longitudinal shafts journaled in said arms, flexible strips adapted to connect said shafts, means for rotating the shafts, and means for locking them against rotation.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ELBERT E. MUNGER.

Witnesses:

GUY H. MARTIN, W. W. CORNWALL. 

